Streaming and the 11 plus
Posted by Linden on August 04, 1998 at 02:59:49:
In response to I guess I drowned early in the math stream..., written by Marie-Bernadette on August 04, 1998 at 00:57:33
] What is a "maths stream"?
Sorry - I should have explained it.
The school which I went to in England was what was known as a "Grammar" school: you had to pass a test (called the 11 plus) to get into it, and only about 20-25% of kids were admitted. It was very strong on the academic side of things.
Streaming was (or possibly still is) a system in which kids are sorted according to ability and learn together. So the top stream (or top set) of Maths had the quarter of the kids who were best at maths, the second stream had the second quarter, and so on.
You may think it was absurd that kids who had already shown that they were in the top percentage academically were then divided even further. So do I. I don't lament the decline of the English Grammar School, but I admit it gave me an excellent education. It was what it did to my brother - who did not pass his 11 plus - that was wrong. To be labelled a failure at 11 was not a good idea.
Linden
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
